Novel Imprinted DLK1/GTL2 Domain on Human Chromosome 14 Contains Motifs That Mimic Those Implicated in IGF2/H19 Regulation
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Letter Novel Imprinted DLK1/GTL2 Domain on Human Chromosome 14 Contains Motifs that Mimic Those Implicated in IGF2/H19 Regulation Andrew A. Wylie,1,2 Susan K. Murphy,1 Terry C. Orton,2 and Randy L. Jirtle1,3 1Departments of Radiation Oncology and Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA; 2Safety Assessment, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, Alderley Edge, SK1 04TG, UK The evolution of genomic imprinting in mammals occurred more than 100 million years ago, and resulted in the formation of genes that are functionally haploid because of parent-of-origin–dependent expression. Despite ample evidence from studies in a number of species suggesting the presence of imprinted genes on human chromosome 14, their identity has remained elusive. Here we report the identification of two reciprocally imprinted genes, GTL2 and DLK1, which together define a novel imprinting cluster on human chromosome 14q32. The maternally expressed GTL2 (gene trap locus 2) gene encodes for a nontranslated RNA. DLK1 (delta, Drosophila, homolog-like 1) is a paternally expressed gene that encodes for a transmembrane protein containing six epidermal growth factor (EGF) repeat motifs closely related to those present in the delta/notch/serrate family of signaling molecules. The paternal expression, chromosomal localization, and biological function of DLK1 also make it a likely candidate gene for the callipyge phenotype in sheep. Many of the predicted structural and regulatory features of the DLK1/GTL2 domain are highly analogous to those implicated in IGF2/H19 imprint regulation, including two hemimethylated consensus binding sites for the vertebrate enhancer blocking protein, CTCF. These results provide evidence that a common mechanism and domain organization may be used for juxtapositioned, reciprocally imprinted genes. Genomic imprinting refers to an epigenetic chromo- genes on a number of chromosomes (Ledbetter and somal modification that results in the preferential ex- Engel 1995). These include distinct clinical abnormali- pression of a gene in a parent-of-origin–dependent ties associated with both maternal and paternal UPD of manner. Genomic imprinting evolved in mammals the long arm of human chromosome 14 (14q24.3–32). >100 million years ago (Killian et al. 2000) possibly Maternal UPD (mUPD) of chromosome 14 is associated because of an interparental genetic conflict to control with low birth weight, short stature, small hands and maternal-dependent growth of the offspring (Haig and feet, motor delay, and precocious puberty, whereas pa- Graham 1991). Imprinted genes have been linked to a ternal UPD (pUPD) is not only observed less fre- number of human behavioral and developmental dis- quently, but it also leads to more severe musculoskel- orders, including Angelman, Prader-Willi, and Beck- etal problems and mental retardation. Consistent with with-Wiedemann syndromes, as well as a variety of these observations in humans, genetic studies using pediatric and adult malignancies (for reviews, see Ni- Robertsonian or reciprocal translocations to generate cholls et al. 1998; Falls et al. 1999; Mann and Barto- UPD for mouse distal chromosome 12 result in early lomei 1999; Reik et al. 2000). Evidence also suggests embryonic lethality, indicating the presence of an im- that a number of unidentified imprinted genes under- printed gene or genes in a region homologous with lie the etiology of other human disorders, including human chromosome 14 (Cattanach and Beechey autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disease, and Crohn’s 1997). The parent-of-origin inheritance of the callipyge disease (Morison and Reeve 1998; Isles and Wilkinson gene, mapped to the distal portion of chromosome 18 2000). Therefore, the isolation and characterization of in sheep, is also consistent with the presence of im- novel imprinted genes will provide further insight into printed genes in this homologous region of the long their roles in these disorders as well as into the regula- arm of human chromosome 14 (Cockett et al. 1996; tory mechanisms fundamental to this intriguing phe- Freking et al. 1998; Lien et al. 1999). nomenon. Despite compelling evidence for the presence of Abnormal phenotypes associated with uniparental maternally and paternally imprinted genes on human disomy (UPD) have implied the presence of imprinted chromosome 14, their identity has remained elusive. We used a bioinformatics-based approach to select can- 3Corresponding author. didate regions of chromosome 14 for further expres- E-MAIL [email protected]; FAX (919) 684-5584. Article and publication are at www.genome.org/cgi/doi/10.1101/ sion and DNA methylation analysis. This led to the gr.161600. identification of two reciprocally imprinted genes on 10:1711–1718 ©2000 by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press ISSN 1088-9051/00 $5.00; www.genome.org Genome Research 1711 www.genome.org Wylie et al. human chromosome 14q32. GTL2 is maternally ex- Gtl2, being maternally expressed, was unlikely to pressed and appears to lack an open reading frame. In be directly involved in generating the abnormal phe- contrast, DLK1 is paternally expressed, and encodes for notype of the Gtl2lacZ mouse. It was therefore likely a cell-surface transmembrane protein containing epi- that the dwarfism phenotype of the Gtl2lacZ mouse re- dermal growth factor-like (EGF-like) repeats that are sulted from disruption of a paternally expressed gene closely related to the EGF-like repeats of the inverte- located in close proximity to Gtl2. BLAST analysis of a brate proteins delta and notch (Laborda et al. 1993; 500 kb region surrounding GTL2 (BACs AL117190, Artavanis-Tsakonas et al. 1995; Fleming 1998). Further AL132711, and AL163974), using both the nonredun- analysis of the structural, spatial, and epigenetic char- dant and human EST GenBank databases, identified acteristics of the DLK1/GTL2 domain revealed a strik- DLK1 (delta, Drosophila homolog-like 1) located 102 kb ing similarity to the IGF2/H19 domain on human centromeric to GTL2. chromosome 11. A SNP was identified in exon five of DLK1 (Fig. 2A), and it was used to analyze gene expression in RESULTS seven heterozygous individuals. As shown in Figure 2B, DLK1 is monoallelically expressed in fetal brain (n = 7), Identification of Novel Imprinted Genes kidney (n = 3), liver (n = 3) and lung (n = 2). Monoal- Using gene trap technology, Schuster-Gossler et al. lelic expression was also detected in other fetal tissues, (1996) identified a transgene-induced insertional mu- including adrenal gland (n = 2), skeletal muscle (n = 1), tation (Gtl2lacZ) on mouse distal chromosome 12 that gut (n = 2), heart (n = 4), spleen (n = 1) and placenta conferred proportionate dwarfism in a parent-of- (n = 2, data not shown). Thus, DLK1 was monoalleli- origin–dependent manner. The gene subsequently cally expressed in 27 tissues from seven different hu- identified from the site of transgene integration was man conceptuses. The parent-of-origin of the ex- Gtl2 (gene trap locus 2) (Schuster-Gossler et al. 1998). pressed allele was determined to be exclusively pater- Using BLAST analysis of the NCBI GenBank database, nal following the genotyping of matched maternal we found that human cDNA clone 23887 (AF052114) decidua tissue (Fig. 2B). This is consistent with the re- had significant homology with mouse Gtl2, and that it cent finding that mouse Dlk1 is also paternally ex- lacked a significant open reading frame. This clone and pressed (Schmidt et al. 2000). its associated UniGene cluster (Hs.112844) map to hu- man chromosome 14q32, a region homologous with Methylation Analysis distal mouse chromosome 12. Alignment of clone Methylation appears to be a key component of the im- 23887 sequence (henceforth referred to as human print regulation in eutherian mammals, and most GTL2) with published human BAC sequence AL117190 known imprinted genes are associated with differen- revealed the presence of five exons in the mRNA se- tially methylated CpG-rich regions. GRAIL analysis of quence, with the transcription start site located at the upstream regions of DLK1 and GTL2 showed that nucleotide 69187 (Fig. 1A). the putative promoter regions of both genes contain To determine if GTL2 is monoallelically expressed, sequences rich in CpG dinucleotides. To determine we identified a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) their methylation status, three independent areas of in exon 5 (Fig. 1A), and analyzed allelic expression of each region were analyzed using bisulphite sequencing GTL2 in tissues from five human conceptuses hetero- of DNA isolated from fetal brain, kidney, liver, and zygous for the polymorphism. As shown in Figure 1B, pancreas (Fig. 3). The methylation profile of both pu- GTL2 was monoallelically expressed in fetal heart tative promoter regions was indistinguishable in the (n = 1), kidney (n = 2), liver (n = 2) and lung (n = 2). four tissues analyzed, and a representative analysis is GTL2 was also monoallelically expressed in fetal brain shown in Figure 3. All three areas of the CpG-rich re- (n = 4, data not shown). Thus, GTL2 was shown to be gion examined upstream of GTL2 (G1, position monoallelically expressed in 11 tissues from five differ- 65,973–66,085; G2, position 66,667–66,793, and G3, ent human conceptuses. The expressed allele was de- position 67,780–67,926; GenBank accession no. termined to be of maternal origin by genotyping AL117190) were found to be hemimethylated, consis- matching maternal decidua tissue (Fig. 1B). Using an tent with the notion that allelic methylation differ- alternative experimental approach, Miyoshi et al. ences contribute to the imprinted regulation of GTL2 (2000) recently identified a maternally expressed hu- expression. In contrast, whereas ∼150 bp of the up- man homolog of mouse Gtl2, which they called MEG3, stream DLK1 promoter region were hemimethylated and using Northern blot analysis showed that MEG3 (D1, position 140,543–140,687; accession no. (GTL2) was an abundant transcript. The function of AL132711), the two downstream regions were pre- GTL2 is presently unknown because neither the mouse dominantly unmethylated (D2, position 141,101– nor human homologs contain a significant open read- 141,205; and D3, position 141,459–141,594; accession ing frame.